6. Brothers sharing a tractor ride.
7. Rhubarb crisp
8. Welcome home pictures
9. Clean bathtubs
10. New, white shiny doors
Mother of a School Aged Child?
So I am entering a new phase of my life and I am unprepared for it. Motherhood of a school aged child. Really? When did I get here? Now I realize I am still a mother of a preschooler but we have had to think so much about kindergarten lately that I feel like the former.
Tonight we had a conference for Logan's preschool. Granted it was only 15 minutes long and you basically look at colorings but it was still stressful. I can only imagine what they will be like from now on. My oldest is a May baby. He is also a May boy which I feel is different than a May girl. I have really struggled with if he is ready for kindergarten or not. Of course the best advice I heard is to do what feels right. I am praying but I will admit, I am not good at waiting for answers. I begin to worry right away. Something I need to pray more about.
I have heard that its always better to hold them back, no one ever regrets it. But then the school says he is ready and they said they never recommend holding back a May baby unless its necessary. They reminded me that it could be a big deal when he is older and developing sooner than the other kids. My mom thinks its just me not wanting my baby to go to school. (I don't think so but you never know what your inner conscious is doing sometimes).
Its just hard to hear that your child is behind in a certain area or struggles with something. Of course, they said he is bright, creative and sweet but I immediately focused on the negatives. Then started the deprocating self-talk. Its my fault. I don't help him enough. I need to work with him more. He gets this from me. By the time we left, I was very downhearted.
So as we drove away, I prayed. I did not feel immediate relief but after a few distractions, I realized how silly I was being. I mean its not like he wasn't performing. He can write his name and spell the name of everyone in our family. He is already adding and subtracting. I couldn't do that at age 4. Plus, I was being one of those moms that I did not want to be. Overly critical and overly involved. I have always said what mattered most for me was my children's faith and values. They can be janitors for all I care as long as they love God and others. So what was I worrying about?
I have a feeling this is what I will have to look forward to next year. A lot of ups and downs as I get stressed one minute and then remember the big picture the next. We do have him signed up for kindergarten. I will continue to pray. I will continue to take advice and I hope in August, we will be doing what is right. Either way.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Giving Thanks
I have been MIA in the blogosphere. Well that is not true, just my posting is MIA. I have probably been a little too busy in the others' blogs. I think I am struggling with if blogging is a good idea for me. I don't really have a true purpose for the blog yet. I mainly just want to share my trials and successes each day as a Christian, mom, wife and woman each day. I read a lot of blogs of people who seem to have all the answers. I wanted to blog as a person still looking, trying, failing and sometimes succeeding each day. Anyway, I am going to give it another try.
My big worry is that I don't want blogging to also take me away what is truly important to me - God and my family. I have been trying to seek the balance. I have read two great books lately - One Thousand Gifts and A Mother's Rule of Life. Each have really been teaching me about priorities and how I can truly spend each day worshipping, loving and thanking God each day while serving my family and the world. Its a tough thing to do. At least I feel like it is. Especially when you feel pulled to do so much like volunteering, cleaning and just figuring out all the stuff that is supposed to be "best" for the child (more on that later this week).
So one thing I am going to try to do is when I have nothing else to write, I am at least going to list my thanksgiving. Its sort of like trying to create my one thousand gifts list. Here is my start from this weekend:
1. Sun shining on new rainfall.
2. Brothers holding hands.
3. Elderly couple walking hand in hand.
4. Little boys who have lots of kisses and hugs for their mama.
5. A single red rose.
I hope you saw lots of the little gifts the Lord gives us each day. Remember to tell Him, Thank You!
My big worry is that I don't want blogging to also take me away what is truly important to me - God and my family. I have been trying to seek the balance. I have read two great books lately - One Thousand Gifts and A Mother's Rule of Life. Each have really been teaching me about priorities and how I can truly spend each day worshipping, loving and thanking God each day while serving my family and the world. Its a tough thing to do. At least I feel like it is. Especially when you feel pulled to do so much like volunteering, cleaning and just figuring out all the stuff that is supposed to be "best" for the child (more on that later this week).
So one thing I am going to try to do is when I have nothing else to write, I am at least going to list my thanksgiving. Its sort of like trying to create my one thousand gifts list. Here is my start from this weekend:
1. Sun shining on new rainfall.
2. Brothers holding hands.
3. Elderly couple walking hand in hand.
4. Little boys who have lots of kisses and hugs for their mama.
5. A single red rose.
I hope you saw lots of the little gifts the Lord gives us each day. Remember to tell Him, Thank You!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
2012 Goals - March Update
I am running late on this post but let's check in:
Jason and I are also doing regular prayer time at night. We start with a Lenten passage and then we pray afterward. Its a conversational style prayer that we go back and forth but again, its helping us grow together. Plus it has improved my bedtime prayers.
I have pretty much rid the house of all chemical cleaners thanks to Norwex and the internet. I am using recipes online for when I want a good cleaner. Otherwise, Norwex enviro cloths really do the trick with just water. Amazing!
I hope you are all doing just as well. April is already going so fast!
PS Sorry for the bad formatting. I can't figure this html stuff out sometimes!
Start and maintain a blog.- Eliminate caffeine from my diet. I think I am going to try again. I am trying to drink less caffeinated pop when I even do drink pop, which is rare. Its the 9 AM latte or chai that gets me.
- Teach my oldest to tie his shoes.
- Switch to natural cleaners. I pretty much feel like this one is accomplished. I am still figuring out my system but there is very few chemical cleaners left in this house. Mainly just dish soap and detergent. Those are the next to go. I mainly use Norwex products but also love vinegar and baking soda.
- Spend $300 less each month. (could be a tall order) Still plugging away at this.
- Maintain my current weight (at least not gain more). So far so good.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables each day.
- Teach my youngest his colors. I have to give credit to my husband as I think he reinforces this in the tub but I also work with him in simple ways by always referring to the color of things. He knows green, red, blue and purple.
- Go on a weekend trip with just my husband.
- Reduce the sugar consumed by my family. Have eliminated pop from the house and trying to not bring in any outside junk food. I will never eliminate baked goods. We all need some treats.
- Begin biking again.
- Finish the first two years of each of my boys scrapbooks. I have a few more pages in the book but it took a backseat during Lent.
- Read, read and read some more. Doing good here.
- Expand my garden.
- Help my husband finish the trim work in the house.
- Make homemade marshmallows.
- Incorporate lentils into our diet.
Go to adoration.- Set up a more regular learning time with my oldest. We are doing so much more than we used to. I try to work with him 3 afternoons a week but its been tricky. Its getting better though.
Try brussel sprouts.Establisha regular prayer time with my husband. We pray each night together in a coversation style prayer. Its been wonderful for us!- Get out of bed when my husband does.
- Switch to natural, chemical free sunscreen.
- Learn to make beans in crockpot and freeze.
- Learn more about what oils to use in cooking.
- Journey back to fat full dairy.
Jason and I are also doing regular prayer time at night. We start with a Lenten passage and then we pray afterward. Its a conversational style prayer that we go back and forth but again, its helping us grow together. Plus it has improved my bedtime prayers.
I have pretty much rid the house of all chemical cleaners thanks to Norwex and the internet. I am using recipes online for when I want a good cleaner. Otherwise, Norwex enviro cloths really do the trick with just water. Amazing!
I hope you are all doing just as well. April is already going so fast!
PS Sorry for the bad formatting. I can't figure this html stuff out sometimes!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Tiny Cross to Bear
I don't think I have posted about this before but I have a picky eater in my house. No really, a severely picky eater. As in, I-sometimes-worry-about-his-health-picky. Its my oldest and it is honestly one of the crosses I pray about daily. I feel silly just admitting that as a cross when there are people who pick up the cross of abuse, hunger, poverty, torture and disease each day but right now, that is the cross I have to bear. Its the one that looms over me every day. I know that I am blessed with such a small one but I will admit, some days it looks 100 stories high. I work every day to put it in perspective, with God's grace of course. Some days, I can reduce it to a small annoyance, other days, I let it weigh on me.
I am bringing this up as it ties into something that I have been thinking about a lot lately - healthy eating and how I can be serving my family by being a better steward in the kitchen.
I have always thought of myself as a healthy eater. I had a poor self image in high school from a problem with my weight, which led me to learn more about what I should and shouldn't put in my body during college. This led to a desire to make it a career and I majored in Health Promotions (If I were more science-minded I would have preferred to be a dietician). So when I had children, I decided I would be one of those who regulated sugar in my house, ate more fresh produce and all whole grains. We would even eat seafood weekly. Then reality hit. Trying to take care of a newborn and go to work left little for food planning. Plus, I now realize that my idea of healthy eating was just a fraction of what I could, and maybe should be doing. So out came the formula, baby food and easy processed snacks. I also had a hard time knowing what my new precious baby could eat. I know some of you may think, duh, anything. But the naive mom I was worried that seafood would make him sick and he could not chew meat and that we could never serve carrots for breakfast.
So even though we did always have a veggie for lunch and dinner and I served mainly whole grains in my house, my child became accustomed to sugary yogurt and applesauce and eggo waffles (although I tried to buy the ones with more whole grains). Looking back it was a half-hearted attempt. Plus I was feeding my child as I would have fed myself and as someone always watching my weight, I shied from high fat. Something so healthy for a child.
Ok, fast forward almost 5 years. Today I have a child who lives on about 20 foods. To this day, I am not sure if his pickiness is something I let happen or if its something in his personality. I think its a combination but only God knows. The reason why I get so frustrated with myself though is that I wish I had never introduced some of the 20 food he loves as now we are stuck eating that in my house all the time. Now that I really want to make true healthy changes, I am bound by trying to decide if I let my 5 year old starve or be a good steward of the kitchen. See my dillemma?
Wait, I am sure some of you are thinking, just force him. But that is where the "extreme" part comes in. We have tried to force, we have tried coaxing, bribing, using creative shapes, colors and names. Nothing has worked. My child has gone 24 hours and ate nothing on many occasions. When we really dug our heels in and would not let him leave the table till he tried his foods, we found we were putting him to bed nightly with no meal at all or we were cleaning up puke on the kitchen floor. Some may say, you should keep trying but we started to notice his pickness got worse. He stopped eating spaghetti, chicken and pork chops that were our family staples. He swore off meat all together except chicken nuggets. This went on for a few months till my husband and I realized, we were all miserable and Logan was eating less foods instead of more and we did not see things changing. He is stubborn! So now you see what we are dealing with.
After talking to his doctor, we decided to feed him some of the foods he liked but also never making any special exceptions for him. Basically he was given what I served. I tried to always have 2 things on the table he would like so we knew he would not starve but then if he wanted more, it had to be something on the table.
My second has a dairy allergy which has thrown an entirely new wrench in the mix, especially since some of Logan's staples are cottage cheese, milk and yogurt. But Kellan's allergy has made me explore the food world more and each day, I am more aware of what's going in their mouths and where it came from. I want to start going more organic, less processed and more fresh. The hard part is Logan. For example, he will eat veggies, but only green beans and peas out of can. I have read the news on canned items and if I could, I would try to abolish it from my house. But I have to decide, would it be better to serve Logan no veggies whatsoever except the occasional broccoli or is it good that he is at least eating something green? I honestly don't have an answer for this but in thinking about yearly goals (which I still need to post a review on), I have been truly trying to figure this out. I do cook more fresh veggies including fresh peas and green beans each week, those nights Logan prefers to eat other foods instead. So I am not seeing him suddenly start to take an interest in other foods but I am introducing them to the rest of the family. Its one very small step for the tiny cross I bear.
I am bringing this up as it ties into something that I have been thinking about a lot lately - healthy eating and how I can be serving my family by being a better steward in the kitchen.
I have always thought of myself as a healthy eater. I had a poor self image in high school from a problem with my weight, which led me to learn more about what I should and shouldn't put in my body during college. This led to a desire to make it a career and I majored in Health Promotions (If I were more science-minded I would have preferred to be a dietician). So when I had children, I decided I would be one of those who regulated sugar in my house, ate more fresh produce and all whole grains. We would even eat seafood weekly. Then reality hit. Trying to take care of a newborn and go to work left little for food planning. Plus, I now realize that my idea of healthy eating was just a fraction of what I could, and maybe should be doing. So out came the formula, baby food and easy processed snacks. I also had a hard time knowing what my new precious baby could eat. I know some of you may think, duh, anything. But the naive mom I was worried that seafood would make him sick and he could not chew meat and that we could never serve carrots for breakfast.
So even though we did always have a veggie for lunch and dinner and I served mainly whole grains in my house, my child became accustomed to sugary yogurt and applesauce and eggo waffles (although I tried to buy the ones with more whole grains). Looking back it was a half-hearted attempt. Plus I was feeding my child as I would have fed myself and as someone always watching my weight, I shied from high fat. Something so healthy for a child.
Ok, fast forward almost 5 years. Today I have a child who lives on about 20 foods. To this day, I am not sure if his pickiness is something I let happen or if its something in his personality. I think its a combination but only God knows. The reason why I get so frustrated with myself though is that I wish I had never introduced some of the 20 food he loves as now we are stuck eating that in my house all the time. Now that I really want to make true healthy changes, I am bound by trying to decide if I let my 5 year old starve or be a good steward of the kitchen. See my dillemma?
Wait, I am sure some of you are thinking, just force him. But that is where the "extreme" part comes in. We have tried to force, we have tried coaxing, bribing, using creative shapes, colors and names. Nothing has worked. My child has gone 24 hours and ate nothing on many occasions. When we really dug our heels in and would not let him leave the table till he tried his foods, we found we were putting him to bed nightly with no meal at all or we were cleaning up puke on the kitchen floor. Some may say, you should keep trying but we started to notice his pickness got worse. He stopped eating spaghetti, chicken and pork chops that were our family staples. He swore off meat all together except chicken nuggets. This went on for a few months till my husband and I realized, we were all miserable and Logan was eating less foods instead of more and we did not see things changing. He is stubborn! So now you see what we are dealing with.
After talking to his doctor, we decided to feed him some of the foods he liked but also never making any special exceptions for him. Basically he was given what I served. I tried to always have 2 things on the table he would like so we knew he would not starve but then if he wanted more, it had to be something on the table.
My second has a dairy allergy which has thrown an entirely new wrench in the mix, especially since some of Logan's staples are cottage cheese, milk and yogurt. But Kellan's allergy has made me explore the food world more and each day, I am more aware of what's going in their mouths and where it came from. I want to start going more organic, less processed and more fresh. The hard part is Logan. For example, he will eat veggies, but only green beans and peas out of can. I have read the news on canned items and if I could, I would try to abolish it from my house. But I have to decide, would it be better to serve Logan no veggies whatsoever except the occasional broccoli or is it good that he is at least eating something green? I honestly don't have an answer for this but in thinking about yearly goals (which I still need to post a review on), I have been truly trying to figure this out. I do cook more fresh veggies including fresh peas and green beans each week, those nights Logan prefers to eat other foods instead. So I am not seeing him suddenly start to take an interest in other foods but I am introducing them to the rest of the family. Its one very small step for the tiny cross I bear.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Count My Blessings
Its getting really hard to do this on Wednesday. No clue why but I just don't get to the computer as much on Wednesdays.
1. I am so thankful that spring, or at least a taste of it, has arrived! I have been spring cleaning and now with the beautiful weather, well, it just makes everything feel so fresh and new. Seriously, my whole being is just saying, "Ahhhhhh".
2. I am blessed with a open husband. As in, he is open to my ideas and to listen to me. We are having some parenting issues and I have been trying new tactics. Together we are learning how to parent together through open and honest communication. I am so glad I have a team to do this with!
3. We are blessed with a big, fenced in backyard that our boys can play safely in. What a great oasis on days like this.
4. Lately, I have felt very blessed to have two healthy boys! Little miracles to watch grow and learn each day.
5. I am blessed with being a stay-at-home mom. I have had a major influence on my children, for better or for worse, but the Lord trusted them to me and each day I am able to do the best job I can. And I am never alone.
May you count the blessings in your life each day. Even when you are stressed, tired, frustrated or lonely. Remember, if God is for us, who could be against us!
1. I am so thankful that spring, or at least a taste of it, has arrived! I have been spring cleaning and now with the beautiful weather, well, it just makes everything feel so fresh and new. Seriously, my whole being is just saying, "Ahhhhhh".
2. I am blessed with a open husband. As in, he is open to my ideas and to listen to me. We are having some parenting issues and I have been trying new tactics. Together we are learning how to parent together through open and honest communication. I am so glad I have a team to do this with!
3. We are blessed with a big, fenced in backyard that our boys can play safely in. What a great oasis on days like this.
4. Lately, I have felt very blessed to have two healthy boys! Little miracles to watch grow and learn each day.
5. I am blessed with being a stay-at-home mom. I have had a major influence on my children, for better or for worse, but the Lord trusted them to me and each day I am able to do the best job I can. And I am never alone.
May you count the blessings in your life each day. Even when you are stressed, tired, frustrated or lonely. Remember, if God is for us, who could be against us!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Lenten Check-in
I know, I have been VERY absent when it comes to blogging. I also know this is a blogging no-no. Honestly, since Lent has started I just haven't spent much time on the computer. I am not making it much of a priority and that has led to my absenteeism. So I apologize.
I also would like to say that if I posted as often as I wrote posts in my head, well you would have at least one a day. I think about posting all the time, I just don't get it done. I wish you could plug some mechanism into your brain that would write down your thoughts for you as you did your daily tasks. Then I would get a lot of blogging done. Oh wait, let me think that through. No, I do not wish for that at all.
Anyway, we are halfway through Lent. Can you believe it? Lent is such a great time for spiritual reflection and growth. I know we should be reflecting on the passion of Christ all year long but I still appreciate that the Church sets time aside to truly remind us to do it.
I have been reading A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot and its been terrific. She has really helped me improve my prayer life throughout my day and make sure that I am prioritizing God about all else. Its a daily challenge, especially with two very sick kids but each day I am working toward that balance.
I am loving my fast from TV. Again, its not like I watched that much to begin with but now that first hour and the last hours of the day are much more productive. Only drawbacks is that I seem to be out of the loop, especially on the weather. I am getting better at checking the computer though. The other is that sometimes I miss out on good cuddle time with my hubby. He still watches TV and sometimes I just want to cuddle up next to him after the boys go to bed but can't. Although, I have noticed that he is turning the TV off more often and is choosing to read a book instead. I know I am sounding vain, but I think my Lenten promise is helping us both.
The one we are doing miserably on is trying to devote Sunday to family time. We just have things that keep getting in the way (or at least we let them). One weekend, we had to drive to my parents for a family meeting and last weekend we had free tickets to a comedy show and left the boys with a sitter. I know we could have turned them down but honestly, a cheap date night? How could we pass that up. I am hoping we will do better the last few Sundays as we have no more plans going on. Yay!
How are you doing this Lenten season? Are you ready for Easter and our Savior's Resurrection? Now is the time to check-in.
Well, I hear the boys stirring in their beds. Have a great week!
I also would like to say that if I posted as often as I wrote posts in my head, well you would have at least one a day. I think about posting all the time, I just don't get it done. I wish you could plug some mechanism into your brain that would write down your thoughts for you as you did your daily tasks. Then I would get a lot of blogging done. Oh wait, let me think that through. No, I do not wish for that at all.
Anyway, we are halfway through Lent. Can you believe it? Lent is such a great time for spiritual reflection and growth. I know we should be reflecting on the passion of Christ all year long but I still appreciate that the Church sets time aside to truly remind us to do it.
I have been reading A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot and its been terrific. She has really helped me improve my prayer life throughout my day and make sure that I am prioritizing God about all else. Its a daily challenge, especially with two very sick kids but each day I am working toward that balance.
I am loving my fast from TV. Again, its not like I watched that much to begin with but now that first hour and the last hours of the day are much more productive. Only drawbacks is that I seem to be out of the loop, especially on the weather. I am getting better at checking the computer though. The other is that sometimes I miss out on good cuddle time with my hubby. He still watches TV and sometimes I just want to cuddle up next to him after the boys go to bed but can't. Although, I have noticed that he is turning the TV off more often and is choosing to read a book instead. I know I am sounding vain, but I think my Lenten promise is helping us both.
The one we are doing miserably on is trying to devote Sunday to family time. We just have things that keep getting in the way (or at least we let them). One weekend, we had to drive to my parents for a family meeting and last weekend we had free tickets to a comedy show and left the boys with a sitter. I know we could have turned them down but honestly, a cheap date night? How could we pass that up. I am hoping we will do better the last few Sundays as we have no more plans going on. Yay!
How are you doing this Lenten season? Are you ready for Easter and our Savior's Resurrection? Now is the time to check-in.
Well, I hear the boys stirring in their beds. Have a great week!
Friday, March 2, 2012
7 Quick Takes Friday
For once, I am really going to try to keep these quick!
1. My niece's team lost on Thursday. It was so sad. I am such a sympathetic cryer so I was blubbering. Especially when she hugged her daddy (my brother). Anyway, they played their best and that is all that counts. They made it to the top 4 teams in the state and that is something to be proud of.
2. Never get super glue on your fingers. Its a very annoying feeling. I am starting to wonder when the glue will come off...
3. Also never run errands between 4-6 PM when you are hungry and then come home to a complicated recipe that you haven't fully read and try to cook it while your hungry children swarm around you.
4. I was having a really bad day on Thursday with my children and finally I closed myself in my bedroom and turned to my daily prayer book. The reading was from Matthew 7 which tells us "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you..." Wow, talk about timely. I was down and out and I ran into my room to seek guidance and comfort. Here I was reminded that the Lord is just waiting for me to ask. The prayer also started with "Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me." God is good!
5. Kellan has pink eye this week. Poor guy, its the second time he has had it. He is such a trooper with the drops though. Please pray he will feel better soon.
6. I made my mother-in-law cry this week. It was her birthday on Tuesday and I mailed her photos of the boys holding signs that read "Happy Birthday Nana. We Miss you!" I was so happy I made her something that she really appreciated. It is so tough having them so far away in Arizona, that I love to do things to bring us closer to them.
7. On Tuesday, while we were at my niece's ballgame, Logan's lips were really chapped. He ate some popcorn which really irritated the skin so we applied some chapstick. About 20 minutes later, Logan turns to me,
"Mama my lips feel better!"
me: "Oh really buddy, that is good."
Logan: "Ya, Jesus healed them!"
Happy birthday to my biggest brother, LeRoy!
Have a great weekend!
1. My niece's team lost on Thursday. It was so sad. I am such a sympathetic cryer so I was blubbering. Especially when she hugged her daddy (my brother). Anyway, they played their best and that is all that counts. They made it to the top 4 teams in the state and that is something to be proud of.
2. Never get super glue on your fingers. Its a very annoying feeling. I am starting to wonder when the glue will come off...
3. Also never run errands between 4-6 PM when you are hungry and then come home to a complicated recipe that you haven't fully read and try to cook it while your hungry children swarm around you.
4. I was having a really bad day on Thursday with my children and finally I closed myself in my bedroom and turned to my daily prayer book. The reading was from Matthew 7 which tells us "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you..." Wow, talk about timely. I was down and out and I ran into my room to seek guidance and comfort. Here I was reminded that the Lord is just waiting for me to ask. The prayer also started with "Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me." God is good!
5. Kellan has pink eye this week. Poor guy, its the second time he has had it. He is such a trooper with the drops though. Please pray he will feel better soon.
6. I made my mother-in-law cry this week. It was her birthday on Tuesday and I mailed her photos of the boys holding signs that read "Happy Birthday Nana. We Miss you!" I was so happy I made her something that she really appreciated. It is so tough having them so far away in Arizona, that I love to do things to bring us closer to them.
7. On Tuesday, while we were at my niece's ballgame, Logan's lips were really chapped. He ate some popcorn which really irritated the skin so we applied some chapstick. About 20 minutes later, Logan turns to me,
"Mama my lips feel better!"
me: "Oh really buddy, that is good."
Logan: "Ya, Jesus healed them!"
Gotta love it!
Happy birthday to my biggest brother, LeRoy!
Have a great weekend!
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